I sat in the captain’s seat of the Odin, with Pallos strapped in beside me. Staring out the windshield, the mist hung thickly upon the ground. The tall trees surrounding the meadow seemed ghostly in the pre-dawn. This mist was encroaching into the Hollow further than it ever had, an insult to the sanctity of the Elder Dragons’ home.
The sooner we were gone, the better.
“All systems go?” I asked.
Pallos cleared his throat. “All systems are functioning, yes.”
I turned on the intercom. “Attention. We’re taking off soon. The sooner you find a seat, the sooner we’re off to find Isaru.”
I clicked off the intercom and reached for the throttle to engage the lift thrusters.
There was nothing left but to—
Shanti . . .
The Elder Dragon Queen’s voice entered my mind, urgent. I pulled my hand from the throttle while Pallos looked on in confusion.
“Something wrong?” he asked.
“Maybe,” I said.
I sought for Silence to communicate with her. The void surrounded me, coming quickly out of habit. In that void floated another mind, waiting. I forged a link between Quietus and myself.
Quietus . . . is something wrong?
Yes, she said. The Elder King and I must speak to you.
We. She was including Askal, then.
What about?
It is best we meet face to face. Come to the lake.
The dragon severed the connection before I could respond, leaving me with silence . . . and questions.
“Power down the ship, Pallos. There’s one last thing I have to attend to.”
“Power down? What’s going on? At any moment, Isaru could—”
“I know,” I said. “Quietus just summoned me. She won’t keep me long.”
At least, that was what I hoped.
“I see,” Pallos said, although his eyes told me that he didn’t see. “Powering down, then.”
I unstrapped myself from my seat and walked out of the flight deck. I jogged past the conference room and into Odin’s wardroom, where most of my crew sat at the table. Isa and Shara spoke excitedly, probably explaining everything that had happened to the others over the last month. Elders Isandru and Tellor were listening, along with the boys from the Sanctum who had decided to follow me: Ret, Samal, and Nabea. Fiona stood off to the side, listening with a hand under her chin, while Mia sat next to her brother.
All of them were held rapt by the girls’ story, so rapt that only one of them even noticed my entrance.
“Shanti?” Mia said. “What’s going on? I thought we were leaving?”
Isa ceased speaking as everyone looked at me.
“Quietus and Askal want to see me,” I said. “I’m not sure about what.”
“You better not keep them waiting,” Elder Isandru said, stroking his long, silvery beard. “We’ll be here when you return.”
I nodded. “Be back soon.”
Before any of them could ask anything more, I pressed the exit button for the blast door. As soon as the door hissed open, a few tendrils of fog immediately eddied along the deck. That fog seemed like something alive and altogether unnatural. It was as if the Hollow knew it was to be abandoned soon and searched for any territory to invade. Gazing outside made me feel uneasy. I put my hand on the hilt of my sword. I didn’t think there would be anything out there . . . at least, not until the dragons left.
But it never hurt to be careful.
I ran down the boarding ramp as the door shut behind me.
I reached the spongy turf of the xen below. Already, the fungus was starting to lose its characteristic glow, a sure sign it was dying. The Northern Reversion was spreading at an alarming rate. Above, swirls of leaves fell from the Silverwoods, piling thickly on the forest floor. The air was pungent with autumn, though it was only late summer. This far north, winter arrived sooner . . . but I couldn’t help but feel that come spring, these trees would never regrow their lost leaves.
The lake was about a mile from here. Running, I could make it in less than ten minutes.
I set off, following the trail into the forest.